U.S. Senior Women

Goose's Take: Champion Challenge an Inspiring Weekend

Monica "Goose" Vogel, left, with
U.S. attacker Lindsey Munday after Munday was named MVP in Team
USA's 16-9 win over Northwestern on Sunday at Champion
Challenge.
Image courtesy Vogel family

Lacrosse Magazine dispatched 11-year-old Monica "Goose"
Vogel as a youth reporter for last weekend's Champion Challenge,
the annual US Lacrosse event at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Lake
Buena Vista, Fla. Here is her report, including thoughts on several
games from the weekend and Team USA's youth clinic.

Champion Challenge's primary purpose is to showcase battles
between the best college teams and the U.S. national teams. But
another reason lies beneath it: to encourage young girls to play
lacrosse.

Supporting this movement, Champion donates a portion of every
lacrosse product they sell to US Lacrosse, providing equipment for
underprivileged and new teams.

"Champion has entered into this agreement because the future of
lacrosse has grown like crazy throughout the nation," said Joe
Mauter, who works with Champion. "Obviously, it used to be only in
the Northeast. Now it has been played in Florida. It has been
played in Missouri. It has been played all over."

Illustrating his point, all of the young girls that I
encountered this weekend were from Florida, and a few were on teams
that I am rivals with.

All three days of Champion Challenge were a blast. Day 1, on
Friday, focused on the Haudenosaunee girls and their great spirit.
Day 2 featured the Team USA girls' youth clinic and an intense
match between Northwestern and Team England that ended in overtime.
On Day 3, I interviewed lots of players from Team USA. Together,
Champion Challenge inspired me and many other girls my age to keep
playing the thrilling game of lacrosse.

Day 1 — Representing Your Nation

Haudenosaunee and England battled hard for the winning position,
both teams desperate to claim themselves victors. Unfortunately,
the game did not treat Haudenosaunee well. But their spirit lives
on. After the game, some of the members of the team were kind
enough to tell me about their culture. The Haudenosaunee are formed
by six nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and
Tuscarora. I was inspired by them and will now appreciate lacrosse
in a new way. I will see it as an opportunity to entertain The
Creator.

Goose Vogel taking notes at
Champion Challenge. She enjoyed several games, Team USA's youth
clinic and talking to national team players.
Image from Goose Sports

Day 2 — Team USA Youth Clinic an Exhilarating
Atmosphere

The elated environment created at the youth clinic followed me
throughout Day 2 of Champion Challenge. Learning with the girls
from Team USA heightened my spirit tons. I am always willing to
learn more and I love improving myself to be a better player. Team
USA helped me do just that: Thank you Team USA!!! The other young
girls at the clinic seemed like they were eager to play, just like
me, and were just plain happy to be there; they were going to meet
Team USA!!! I had a ton of fun and hope to attend the clinic next
year.

On the main fields, three games were played during the day. The
first two had clear winners: USA used their speed and agility to
defeat England in a really fast-paced game. In the second, the
Rollins bench was fired up and ready to go, which led them to a
conclusive win against the Haudenosaunee.

Unlike the first two games, however, neither team was the
decisive winner in the third; Northwestern and England were evenly
matched. With only a minute left in the tied game, Northwestern
bulleted into the eight and scored. But then, all of a sudden, the
referee yelled for everyone to drop their sticks. England had
requested a stick check and the pocket of the girl who scored was
illegal. The shot did not count! The first three minutes of
overtime were discreet. But in the second, Northwestern shoved
through England's defense and managed to launch the ball into the
goal. Frantic to beat Northwestern, England intensified. With only
five seconds left, England sprinted down the field but could not
make it in time to tie Northwestern. [Ed. note — Goose
couldn't stay for Team USA's game with Syracuse on Saturday night
because of a family committment.]

Day 3 — Inspiration from USA Players

Culminating the event on Sunday, three games were showcased.
High-reaching Syracuse controlled the game against the
Haudenosaunee by repeatedly winning the draws, leading to a
decisive win. The game between USA and Northwestern was dominated
by speed and agility. Trampling players brought goals to both teams
but USA overpowered them. In the last game, England's outstanding
defense was no match for Syracuse's unbeatable offense. Syracuse
displayed excellent ball movement against England's defense.

But the real fun today came after the games. Talking with the
players on Team USA motivated me to enjoy the game of lacrosse even
more. I received advice, pictures, and suggestions from many of
them. Some of the advice they provided were "Practice, practice,
practice," "Use your right and left hand," and of course, "Have
fun!" This will help me become a better and more confident lacrosse
player in the future. I hope they influence you too. In the words
of Team USA, #9, MVP Lindsey Munday, "We all play the sport because
we love it!"